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You’re looking at the first spy shots of a prototype for the second-generation Audi R8. The car has been developed alongside the new Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4, with which it shares a platform, though its release is still about a year away, which means we’re likely to see it list as a 2016 model.

The spy shots confirm Audi is taking an evolutionary approach with the styling of its new R8. The shots also reveal that Audi’s horizontal themes first shown on the 2016 TT will feature on the 2016 R8. Wider and flatter lights are fitted at both ends, and are joined by a more rigid hexagonal grille up front and rectangular exhaust tips at the rear. We can also see the car is getting a massive diffuser tucked into the rear bumper.

Despite sharing a platform with the Huracán, the 2016 R8 will be slightly wider and longer than the Lambo. Not only will this mean a more spacious cabin, but the ride comfort should be better too--the Huracán has been designed as the more hardcore option, with the Audi positioned as the everyday supercar.

The platform in question is a heavily revised version of the current R8’s aluminum structure. The use of carbon fiber in key areas, however, means the new R8 will be significantly stiffer than the current one, and lighter too. Some versions of the 2016 R8 may be as much as 130 pounds lighter than the current car. The latest 2014 Audi R8 V8 model weighs in at 3,439 pounds, so the redesigned version may end up weighing as little as 3,300 pounds.

Power will come from revised versions of the naturally aspirated V-8 and V-10 engines fitted to the current R8. This means a 4.2-liter V-8 unit in the base car and a 5.2-liter V-10 in the range-topper. The latter is the same engine fitted to the Huracán, though the new V-10-powered R8 will likely have its output capped below the 601 horsepower of the Lambo.

Sadly, the 2016 R8 is no longer expected to offer a conventional manual transmission. Instead, a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission will be standard. Other interior features should include a fully digital instrument cluster, a driver-focused dash design, and leather and Alcantara trim.

Audi has confirmed that the second-generation R8 body will be used for its production R8 e-tron, which will be produced on request starting from next year. Thanks to improvements in battery technology, the range of the car should be about 280 miles. Further down the track, the second-generation R8 will also feature a downsized turbo engine, though this option isn’t expected to be available in the U.S.

Production of the 2016 R8 will take place at Audi’s new Böllinger Höfe plant in Neckarsulm, Germany. A reveal may take place as early as the 2014 Paris Auto Show in October, the same show where the original R8 was revealed eight years ago.

A prototype for the second generation of Audi’s R8 supercar recently took to Germany’s Nürburgring, and we have an exclusive video of it. As the prototype confirms, Audi’s designers are taking an evolutionary approach to the styling of the new car. Wider and flatter lights are fitted at both ends, and these are joined by a more rigid hexagonal grille up front and rectangular exhaust tips at the rear.

The car looks very fast in this video, meaning engineers are likely testing the range-topping V-10 model. The good news is that customers should still be able to opt for a V-8. The bad news is that the manual option is being dropped from the car, with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch ‘box being fitted as standard across the range.

Underpinning the new R8 is the same platform found in the Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4, although the Audi will have a longer wheelbase and wider track. It’s a heavily revised version of the current R8’s aluminum platform, with most of the updates aimed at shedding weight.

Production of the new R8 will take place at Audi’s new Böllinger Höfe plant in Neckarsulm, Germany. A reveal may take place as early as the 2014 Paris Auto Show in October, the same show where the original R8 was revealed eight years ago. A showroom debut should follow sometime in 2015, with the car listing as a 2016 model.

Talk of a diesel-powered R8 has been around since the launch of the Audi supercar and really peaked in 2008 when not one but two R8 concept cars powered by diesel engines were presented, each fitted with a monster 6.0-liter V-12 TDI good for 500 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Audi eventually abandoned plans for its diesel R8, but now it looks like the car is back on the agenda.

Automobile Magazine is reporting that the second generation of the R8, due for the 2016 model year, will eventually get a diesel option. At launch the new R8 will offer V-8 and V-10 units, just like the current model, but for 2017 a new diesel option will reportedly be offered.

The diesel engine destined for the R8 is said to be either Audi’s 4.0-liter TDI turbodiesel V-8 currently offered overseas, or a new 5.0-liter TDI V-10 that is reportedly being developed for use in future Bentley vehicles.

Audi has multiple successes with its TDI technology at the 2014 Hours of Le Mans, so it’s understandable the automaker will want to show off that technology in its flagship. VW Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch is also said to be keen to see a diesel R8 launched.

While Audi is yet to confirm that it is bringing a diesel R8 to market, the brand with the four rings has said the new R8 will have an all-electric R8 e-tron model. There’s also talk of a smaller capacity turbocharged engine being offered in markets where tax regulations disfavor car’s with large capacity engines.

Like the idea of a rear-wheel-drive only Audi R8? What about an R8 with a V6? Or even a ‘GT3'-spec R8: a road-going track monster?

If so, there could be some good news, because Audi has told TopGear.com that the new R8 - set to be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show - will feature a wider range of variants than ever before.

"The production line for this new car is so flexible," Schala told us, "so there's no problem to change it, to bring different models like a Superleggera, or GT, or Clubsport variants of the new R8."

The new R8 will launch with only the range-topping, naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine for now - in two power outputs of 540bhp and 610bhp - but Schala is aware of a need for a smaller engine.

"We're not quite sure what the next step is," he said, "but we definitely need engines that sit below the V10 over the life cycle of this car."

So a naturally aspirated V8 will appear, but what about a V6? "As low as a V6? Maybe," Roland hints. "The V6 is a perfect engine for this kind of car. We have a lot of potential with the V6, from 400bhp upwards, so it's possible."

An R8 diesel is also under consideration, according to Roland, but with that comes a potential penalty: weight.

"With our history on the racetrack, we've discussed the idea of a diesel, but is it the right step to bring it in?" says Schala. "It would certainly make us unique, but you need more technology around the engine to keep it clean - filters, ad blue for NOX reduction - and of course there's the weight.

"You have a lot of torque though, but the question is whether that's good for a car like the R8, because with lots of torque you don't have to change the gear as much, and the R8 has to have an emotional side," he added.

So does that mean turbocharging is out of the question for the new R8?

"For us it's all about high revolutions right now. It's not 100 per cent fixed on whether we bring turbos into the R8 for the future, but right now our focus is on the high revving naturally aspirated engine." No hardship, considering that V10 sounds like the apocalypse.

Future powertrains could also include a petrol-electric hybrid - as seen in the new Honda NSX - but don't expect it any time soon. "With this chassis it's possible to add a plug-in hybrid, and we have a lot of knowledge in Audi AG. We have the next stage of battery tech with a range of just over 300 miles. Again, though, the question is whether the customer wants this in a sports car or a saloon.

"McLaren for example only makes sports cars, so they can bring this tech into their cars. But at Audi we have so many model rows, we can bring the right drivetrain into the right model. It's not the goal to bring every technology to every car." We'll see another R8 e-tron prototype too, very soon.

There is still, however, another elephant in the room, and that's the small matter of a manual gearbox. The open-gate manual R8 remains one of the truly great experiences, let's not forget. But Schala won't be drawn on whether the stick shift will remain, only confirming the MkII R8 will launch with a double-clutch box.

"Nothing's been 100 per cent decided [on a manual], but only a small group of people love the manual shift. With this new car's performance, an automatic gearbox is better."

DTM and Audi development driver Frank Stippler agrees. "I like manuals a lot because it's pure driving pleasure, but I think on cars with over 500bhp, it's better to have an automatic. And the new ‘S-Tronic' gearbox shifts so fast - and still gives you that ‘performance' edge that's nice to feel."

So V6? Hybrid? Electric? Rear-drive? What would be your perfect MkII R8?

Underneath the now-obligatory camouflage lies the lighter, stiffer, harder and more powerful AudiR8. The new Audi R8. The second generation of Audi's two-seater, mid-engined supercar.So is this the ‘difficult' second album then?

It would appear so, wouldn't it? After all, it was almost universally acknowledged that Audi's first-ever attempt at the supercar game in the first generation R8 was a massive success. Over its eight-year life cycle, some 25,000 R8 models were sold globally.

Compare that to Lamborghini's Gallardo, which sold 14,000 models over ten years, and you'll see how popular the first R8 was.

So what's new about this car then?

Underneath, pretty much everything is new, or has been revised and spruced. Let's start with the chassis, which was developed in tandem with Audi AG, Quattro GmbH and Lamborghini, a crack team of around 80 engineers creating a new platform that would run across new R8 and new Huracan.

Once this platform was laid down, both Audi and Lamborghini went their separate ways (Audi's R8 is a little longer than the Huracan, mind - some 3cm in the wheelbase). The new R8 is wider and 40 per cent stiffer than its predecessor, is built from materials including aluminium and carbon fibre, sits 30mm lower than before, weighs just under 1500kg (dry), and features four-wheel-drive, a double-clutch gearbox and a V10 engine.

How powerful is that V10?

The R8 will launch in two versions: a 540bhp V10 with 399lb ft of torque, or 610bhp, Huracan-baiting ‘V10 Plus', together with 412lb ft of torque.

The 540bhp version will accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds, 0-124mph in 11.3s and top out at 200mph.

The V10 Plus? 0-62mph in 3.2s, 0-124mph in 9.9s and a 206mph top speed. Neither, you'll see, is found wanting for sheer speed.

They'll both be matched to Audi's ‘S-Tronic' tranmission - there's no manual offering yet, or possibly at all - here treated to new software for faster shifting, together with a new all-wheel-drive system featuring a cooled diff on the front axle, and a limited slip diff at the rear. This new system, says Audi, is constantly variable (although mention is made of a standard 42:58 front-to-rear split), and can apportion up to 100 per cent of the car's torque to either front or back, depending which end's about to bury itself in the Armco.

There's a standard fit electro-mechanical steering - yes, gone is the old R8's hydraulic set-up, and in comes an electric rack - with the option of variable steering. Passive dampers and steel suspension is the norm across both cars, with the option of Audi's rather excellent adaptive magnetic dampers with three modes (Auto, Comfort, Dynamic).

The, ahem, ‘base' R8 features lightweight brakes, while the 610bhp V10 Plus gets even lighter ceramic brakes as standard. Wheels? 19-inchers are standard, 20s are an option, there are specially developed tyres (again with the option of semi-slicks if you like), and a new ‘Performance' setting.

What's that all about?

It adjusts the car's behaviour in different conditions, with three settings for wet, dry and snow. In snow, for example, the torque to the AWD system is limited, so you don't end up spinning away unnecessarily. In dry, everything is set to full attack, with the ESC turned off as a default (though if the car judges your pedal/steering input to be wildly different and considers you in trouble, it'll step in to save any expensive embarrassment). Think of 'Performance' as sitting above the drive select modes, if you can.

Frank Stippler, DTM driver and Audi's long-serving development driver, reckons this system is the perfect mix to satisfy the smooth, clean and faster drivers (with no ESC intervention), but flatter those who require a bit more help.

What about that steering?

Audi reckons it's better, and promises plenty of feel and precision. Stippler agrees, saying the steering angle has been reduced over the last car, to make it more accurate. "In my opinion, the last car had a little too much steering angle, combined with a kind of understeer," he tells TG, "which we have reduced in this new car."VIDEO: Watch Stippler get the new R8 sideways

So come on, what's it like then?

We were only allowed to ride shotgun while Frank Stippler nailed it around Ascari, but suffice to say, it's effing quick. We sampled the higher powered 610bhp V10 Plus, and the acceleration was absolutely savage. This is one of the great naturally aspirated engines, all snarly, baritone aggression capped off by a howling top end. Lovely stuff. It also had the optional sports exhaust, which is an essential tick in the box for any prospective owner.

What else can you ascertain from the passenger seat? Not much, other than the speed Stippler carried into corners was huge, the car didn't struggle, it oversteers at will, and the steering appears to be pretty quick. But better let the man himself explain.

"We ended up with a much more precise front end," Stippler explains, "because of the new steering, which means you need less steering angle. Overall we've got increased speed through the corners, without missing the comfort. The target was to make it more drivable in a faster way on the racetracks, and even better regarding comfort, travelling from Hamburg to Munich for example. Usually this is difficult to combine, but I think they did quite well."

Of course, Stippler works for Audi, so you wouldn't expect him to be rude about his employer's latest creation. Still, sounds promising, doesn't it?

When pushed on the differences between the first generation car and this new car, Stippler is even more absolute. "The new car is a lot closer to the GT3 race car than ever before," he reckons. "The damping and suspension - compared to the Lamborghini - is a lot softer, without being slower on the racetrack."

Ah yes, the racetrack. How does it fare around the Nürburgring?

Audi's engineers were particularly coy when pushed on this, because of course, a ‘Ring time is hugely dependent on tyres, final engine and chassis setup and the bloody weather on the day. But Frank told TG that he reckons this new car is anywhere between 10 to 15 seconds faster than the old one. Yeah, exactly.

Stippler also reckons that though the new R8 is slightly softer in setup than the Huracan, it's no slower around the track. The new car, then, ought to manage that traditional R8 USP of being really fast on circuit, yet comfortable in town.

Anything else to note?

Interestingly, the benchmark was the 991-generation Porsche 911 Turbo. "We had car-to-car tests on track between the new 911 and our development R8," says Frank. "The Porsche was the benchmark, that was the level we had to reach at the minimum, and I think it worked out pretty well."

The interior - though we can't show you pictures just yet - is also cleaner, pinching the lovely full 3D digital dash of the TT, surrounded in the familiar R8 structure, but cleaner. And neater.

The seats feel superb, there's more boot space than before, it's easy to get in and out of, there's more headroom than the associated Huracan, and the steering wheel contains pretty much every button you'll need.

Any word on how much it'll cost?

Not yet, but bear in mind the current 525bhp V10 starts at just under £115k. Though, as you can read more about here, the R8's seven-year lifespan will see smaller engines and - hopefully - smaller prices to follow. A Spider will appear within the next year and a half, too.

So should I ready my wallet?

It certainly seems very promising, and if it manages to retain the old R8's dual-faceted speed and ease of speed, then yes, you should. We'll have a definitive verdict once we've driven it...